ELCO

Elco Ltd.

A family-run Israeli holding company that started in 1949 when engineer Alexander Salkind began making transformers and electricity meters for the young state's power grid. Today its businesses operate under the well-known Electra brand, spanning construction, air conditioners and home appliances, and even supermarket retail through a partnership with Carrefour. Its name is a mash-up of "Electrical Company," and it has been led by the Salkind family for three generations.